GreenBlue, NSF International seek public comment on Recycled Material Standard

Charlottesville, Virginia-based GreenBlue and NSF International have announced that their Recycled Material Standard (RMS) has entered a public comment period. GreenBlue, parent company to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), How2Recycle and other programs, partnered with NSF International in October 2019 to develop the RMS. The companies plan to publish the RMS in 2021.

Once published, GreenBlue says the RMS will be the only standard that offers a mechanism for assuring claims of recycled content by corporations and creates a certificate trading system that incentivizes value chain participants to invest to grow recycling capability and capacity.

During this public comment period, feedback is solicited from supply chain members across all manufacturing segments, nongovernmental organizations and other stakeholders with interests in the standard, GreenBlue says in news release.

In addition to providing comments on the standard, participants will be asked to provide feedback on RMS’ Plastics Module, which is the first of its material modules. GreenBlue says the Plastics Module defines how the principles of the RMS apply specifically to the plastics recycling value chain. Future modules will be developed for other materials.

“We are excited to work with NSF, leveraging their expertise in standards development to bring the RMS to the marketplace at a critical time when brands must demonstrate progress on recycled content goals,” says Nina Goodrich, executive director of GreenBlue. “Based on the feedback we’ve received through the course of developing the standard, this will be an important tool to enable supply chain transparency for recycled content, something that is much needed to advance circularity and create investment, particularly for plastics.”

NSF International has guided the standards development process, gathering input from supply chain representatives in various development stages to ensure the standard can be practically implemented, according to the news release. NSF has been developing public health standards since it was founded more than 75 years ago, and GreenBlue says NSF brings “independent, unbiased leadership” to the standard development process.

“There is much enthusiasm around the development of this standard, and everyone involved has been working hard for the past year to bring it to this important public comment stage,” says Jessica Evans, director of standards development at NSF International.

According to GreenBlue, the stakeholder feedback will be considered in the finalization of the RMS. The public comment period is open through Dec. 18. To participate in the public comment period, visit www.rmscertified.com to download the RMS and the Plastics Module and to access recorded webinars on the elements of the standard. Comments should be provided through https://www.rmscertified.com/about/standard/ or by contacting Evans at NSF directly at jevans@nsf.org.